EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Getting the chance to watch its next opponent live, the Minnesota Vikings observed closely as the New York Jets ran 49 times for 277 yards Monday night.
No tape was needed to see how New York has focused its offense this season. Minnesota knows it's going to get a heavy dose of running backs Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson this weekend from the Jets.
What does a defensive-minded head coach like Mike Zimmer see when his next opponent is coming off a guy with 49 runs.
"We're going to have to bring our big boy pads this week," the Vikings coach said.
Run defense, perhaps surprisingly, has been the weak point of Minnesota's resurgent defense.
The Vikings allowed 178 rushing yards last week -- a season-high -- in beating the Carolina Panthers. Minnesota is 10th in the league in total defense and sixth against the pass, but slipped to 24th in the NFL in run defense, allowing 123.8 yards per game.
"It's not where I want it to be," Zimmer said this week of the run defense. "I don't think we do a good enough job of stopping the backs when we hit them and not falling for three after contact and things like that. I think we've got to do a better job in those areas."
Staying in assigned gaps and missed tackles have been a part of the equation, but Zimmer seemed most concerned this week with the extra yardage allowed after contact.
"We're not thumping them enough that when we hit them they go down," Zimmer said.
Carolina had 33 carries for 178 yards last week, with Jonathan Stewart rushing 12 times for 85 yards. Cam Newton had 49 yards rushing.
Only four individual backs have reached 100 yards rushing in a game against Minnesota this season, but the Vikings have allowed at least 100 yards rushing to a team in all but two games this year. Minnesota once prided itself on keeping teams under the century mark.
"It's gap stuff," linebacker Chad Greenway said. "The Panthers run game, it's multiple. They're pulling different guys in movement and all sorts of stuff. We didn't do as well on that as we wanted to, but when you're able to win it tends to make things OK. We've got to get better at that and that's just on us."
Like the Panthers, New York likes to run a varied offense. The Jets will utilize the read-option and sweeps with former Minnesota receiver Percy Harvin.
New York's 49 rushing attempts last week was the third-highest by a single team in a game this year. The 277 rushing yards were the second-most in a game by a team this season. Eight different players had a carry for the Jets Monday, in which they lost 16-13 to Miami.
This season, New York has had 11 different players with a carry, including three receivers and three quarterbacks. The Vikings know they are going to see the ball handed off more than put in the air.
"We got to stop the run, that's for sure," Zimmer said. "The biggest thing is we've got to tackle. We've got to tackle these backs and can't let them fall for two or three yards extra after we get contact. Next thing you know, it's second-and-4 and you're behind schedule. It makes it tough to call games when you're second-and-2 and second-and-1, stuff like that."
In going for 277 yards last week, though, New York might have scouted itself. After rushing 29 times for 210 yards in the first half, Miami held the Jets to 67 yards on 20 carries in the second half.
New York is second in the league in rushing with an average of 148.2 yards per game. Ivory has rushed for 641 yards, 17th in the NFL, and Johnson has 505 yards rushing.
"They've got a good set of backs," Minnesota defensive end Everson Griffen said. "Johnson, he can hit the home run, and Ivory can too. So our biggest thing is stay in your gaps, farm your own land and get them down when you've got to get them down."
Johnson might not have the breakaway ability he had in Tennessee, but he's averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Ivory is a load at 222 pounds.
"Ivory is a downhill, get his shoulders turned, angry runner," Zimmer said. "He runs angry. Johnson is a slasher that has the breakaway speed. You have to be mindful of what guys can do when they are out there."
Last week, New York just stayed with what worked, according to coach Rex Ryan.
"We thought that would be the best thing for our team in the situation, but we never envisioned we'd only throw 13 passes," Ryan said. "That wasn't the game plan. We did want to establish the run, and we did a great job of it."
The approach also kept the game out of the hands of quarterback Geno Smith, who has the league's lowest qualifying quarterback rating of 65.8 this season.
"We're going to be tested again this week," Greenway said. "We really want to make them throw the football. They can do it, but we know how good they are in the run game. So if we can slow them down in the run game that would really help us out."
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